Belmar to launch W Rail shuttle

The Belmar shopping area is making it easier for shoppers and people who live nearby to get to the Lakewood-Wadsworth Station, and for shoppers to get from the station to Belmar.

On Saturday, April 27 — the same day that the city will be celebrating the opening of the line — Belmar will launch its free shuttle, which will travel between the shopping center and station, with two stops in Belmar.

Riders will be picked up at 464 S. Teller St. in Belmar.

There will be signage in the shopping area to denote pick-up and drop-off areas.

It will run daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pick-ups at Belmar will be at the top of the hour starting at 11 a.m. and pick-ups and the Lakewood-Wadsworth Station be half-past the hour starting at 11:30 a.m.

“The rationale is increase connectivity to Belmar and some of our best customers live along the light rail,” said Christina Brickley, Belmar’s director of marketing.

“We thought we would make it easier for all with the introduction of the shuttle.”

Rachel Griffin, economic development specialist with the city of Lakewood, said the city helped connect Belmar with RTD to get the shuttle properly arranged.

This kind of work is all part of what is called “last mile connections.”

“Since the W rail is being built in an existing infrastructure, it’s up to us to look at how to get people from home to the rail,” Griffin said.

Other last mile connections include improving pedestrian access, especially sidewalks, as well as traffic studies to see what other ways getting to the stations can be improved.

“We’re looking at a pedestrian-car balance,” Griffin said. “That also includes things like lighting and urban design. We need to make sure it’s comfortable and safe for people to get there.”